The furriest face in the crowd at President Donald Trump’s Congressional address on Tuesday night will probably belong to a Montgomery County resident.
James, a service dog trained through a local nonprofit, was invited by U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin to come with his owner to Capitol Hill for the evening speech. Sgt. Matt Moores of Darnestown suffered a traumatic brain injury during a combat operation in Afghanistan and later medically retired. James, who was given to Moores in October 2016, is a graduate of the Warrior Canine Connection, an organization that serves wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda.
Raskin, whose daughter is interning at Walter Reed, said that he’s a “huge fan” of the Boyds-based nonprofit.
“I have invited Sergeant Moores to be my guest to honor his exemplary service and to let people know about the great work of the Warrior Canine Connection, which is helping so many veterans with service dogs,” Raskin said in a prepared statement.
Moores entered the Marine Corps in November 2009. During an operation in Helman Province, he and a group of Marines struck an explosive device, and despite his own injuries, he worked to protect his fellow soldiers and get them back behind friendly lines.
James is named after Army Chief Warrant Officer James E. Groves III, who died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan in 2013.
